124. An Honest Human Being

They thought holiness meant always doing the right thing. But the Ruzhiner Rebbe showed them something deeper—what it means to be honest with your own heart.

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We're always under the assumption that a holy person is someone that always does the right thing no matter what. They know already, they'll always do something holy. The holy Ruzhiner one time called in his חסידים and said, \"You want to learn who a real, honest human being is?\" So they all said, \"Of course, רבי, teach us.\" So the רבי said, \"Bring me someone from the street. Just bring him inside right now.\" And they found a יידעלע in the streets of Ruzhin and they brought him to the Ruzhiner.

And the Ruzhiner said, \"Let me ask you a question. If you see a hundred, hundred rubles falling out of my pocket and you're walking behind me, what would you do with it?\" So this יידעלע said, \"Oh, I'd find it and I'd give it right back to you.\" So the רבי said, \"Thank you very much. Bring in someone else.\" And the רבי said, \"He's just telling me what I want to hear.\" They ask another person that comes inside. The רבי says, \"Let me ask you a question.

A hundred rubles fall out of my pocket, and you're standing behind me. What would you do with it?\" So, this יידעלע says, \"Well, to be honest with you, רבי, I'd keep it, and I'd just walk away.\" So the רבי says, \"Thank you very much.\" He leaves and they say, "אך, what a thief.\" The רבי calls in another person. They pick up another person from the street. And again, the story was, \"If a hundred rubles fell out of my pocket and you were standing right behind me, what would you do with it?\" And the יידעלע turned to the רבי and said, \"I'm not sure.

It depends what mood I'll be in.\" And the רבי said, \"Ah, finally, an honest human being.\" A human being that understands that God gave us free choice, that every moment we have, we could be feeling anything in the world. How do I know how I'm going to feel? I hope I'll be feeling good. I hope I'll want to do the right thing. I hope I won't want to do the wrong thing.

But an honest human being knows that every single given moment, everything in the world is on a scale, and it's up to our choices at that moment to tilt the scales to the right place, depending on how we're feeling in that moment.